The pandemic has hampered cities with the confinements and the disappearance of tourists, thus hurting the cost of living. But according to data released by Mercer, to which the newspaper Ejeprime had access, Hong Kong managed to maintain its lead and remains the most expensive city in the world to live.

According to the Spanish newspaper, in 2020, the first three positions of the ranking were occupied by Asian cities. After Hong Kong, in second place comes Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, rising five positions, after having been in 7th place in 2019. For its part, Tokyo fell from second to third.

It should be noted that six of the ten most expensive cities in the world are located on the Asian continent due to "positive currency movements against the US dollar and the increase in the local cost of living," reveals the consulting firm.

It is in fourth position that the top European city emerges. In 2020, Zurich was the most expensive city to live in Europe, alongside Bern and Geneva, also in Switzerland.

Some of the main cities in Europe, such as Paris, Milan or Frankfurt, fell in the ranking to 50th, 47th and 76th, respectively. In Spain, the ranking places Madrid in 87th place, against the position number 82 last year, and Barcelona in 102nd, that is, 11 places lower than in 2019.

For their part, British cities have gained strength and London is in 19th place, Birmingham in 129th place, and Belfast in 149th position.

Across the ocean, New York is the most expensive city in the country, ranking sixth, followed by San Francisco (16), Los Angeles (17), Honolulu (28) and Chicago (30). "As the global economic recession bites during the first part of the year, the strength of the dollar has increased costs in U.S. cities," Mercer revealed.

Meanwhile, prices in the Middle East have remained stable and Tel Aviv remains the most expensive city in the region at 12th place, followed by Dubai (23), Riyadh (31) and Abu Dhabi (39).

Lusa Agency